Response from the Parish Council about the New Year’s Eve Celebrations

Many of you will have read the article on the front page of the January edition of Wendover News. We appreciate the tradition of the NYE celebration at the Clock Tower and would certainly not have felt the need to write the article if we had not received complaints and concerns over the safety of the previous year’s event. In a meeting with Thames Valley Police and AVDC, it was highlighted to the Parish Council that the New Year’s Eve Anti-Social Behaviour problem is worse in Wendover than in Aylesbury and seems to be increasing each year. AVDC pointed out that they would be acting to prevent fireworks being let off on and into the highway as this is illegal.

It has been suggested that the Parish Council or “Wendover Celebrates” should take the evening under their wings, but it is apparent that the logistics of having an event around the Clock Tower are challenging. A road closure for a couple of hours around midnight, (cost approx £3000) would possibly be the only way to make it safe, but this could be very unpopular with businesses trading on the night and people trying to reach friends and loved ones by midnight as it involves such an important road junction. If an event could logistically be organised around the Clock Tower, it would still not be lawful to set off fireworks on or into the public highway as has happened in recent years. If you have any practical ideas about how the Parish Council can help the community carry on with this tradition safely and lawfully we would be very pleased to hear from you.